The low rhythmic songs of grief filled the prayer hall at a cemetery in the settlement of Kfar Etzion, as mourners gathered to pay their respects to two British-Israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank. Maia and Rina Dee, 20 and 15, were killed on Friday when suspected Palestinian gunmen opened fire on them in their car in the Jordan Valley. Their mother, Leah, is in a critical condition following surgery.
The father of the two sisters, Rabbi Leo Dee, originally from Radlett in the UK, embraced their bodies as they were brought out. Many of the mourners were teenagers – some from the school Rina went to. Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was also present. The family had moved from London nine years ago to live in Efrat.
The attack came amid soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions and violence. Israeli media reported that 22 bullet casings were found, apparently from a Kalashnikov assault rifle. The victims were travelling in one of three cars on their way to Tiberias in the Galilee for a family holiday. Israeli military personnel blocked roads in the area and said they had “started a pursuit of the terrorists” responsible.
Speaking to the BBC on Saturday evening, Rabbi Dee described his daughters as beautiful, smart and popular. He said he had not been able to sleep since their deaths. He said Maia was volunteering for national service in a high school, while Rina was “beautiful, fun, very smart, top grades in every subject, very popular with friends, sporty… very responsible”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as a terror attack and sent his condolences to the family in a tweet naming the sisters. The UK’s chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, said that “no words can describe the depth of our shock and sadness at the heart-breaking news”.
Rabbi Mordechai Ginsbury, from the Hendon United Synagogue in north London, said he spoke briefly with his close friend Rabbi Dee before the funerals. He said Rabbi Dee felt “supported and embraced by a blanket of warmth and love” from within Israel and from people across world who had contacted him.
After the two sisters were shot, Israel Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai called on all Israelis with firearms licences to start carrying their weapons. On Friday, an Italian tourist was killed and seven other people were wounded, including three Britons, in a suspected car-ramming attack in Tel Aviv.
The tragic death of Maia and Rina Dee has sent shockwaves through both Israel and the UK. At their funeral, mourners sang low rhythmic songs of grief as Rabbi Leo Dee embraced his daughters’ bodies for one last time. His wife Leah is still in critical condition following surgery.
Rabbi Dee described his daughters as beautiful, smart and popular. He said Maia was volunteering for national service in a high school while Rina was “very responsible”. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UK’s chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis both expressed their shock and sadness at the news.
Rabbi Mordechai Ginsbury said Rabbi Dee felt “supported and embraced by a blanket of warmth and love” from within Israel and from people across world who had contacted him. In response to the attack, Israel Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai called on all Israelis with firearms licences to start carrying their weapons.
The tragic deaths of Maia and Rina Dee have brought into focus the escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine. The families of those affected are now left to pick up the pieces of their lives and try to move forward with strength and courage.